Pursuing Other Matters A BarnWright Regency Romance
by Tarma Hartley
Summary: Phoenix, ninth Duke of Claremont, is invited to a party that he doesn't want to attend and fed up with the marriage bait dangled in front of him. He will, however, soon meet someone he will lose his heart to... Zacharias Barnham x Phoenix Wright


_A/N: I do not own Phoenix Wright or Zacharias Barnham; they belong to CAPCOM & Level-5. The plot, Lady Elizabeth Presley, Lady Spencer and other incidental characters are mine.  
_ **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 _Phoenix, ninth Duke of Claremont, is invited to a prty that he doesn't want to attend and fed up with the marriage bait dangled in front of him. He will, however, soon meet someone he will lose his heart to...  
_ **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX _  
_**

This is dedicated to milesphoenix for a mutual interest in _Pride & Prejudice_ (and for being an AWESOME person in general who's art I LOVE and whom I personally like); for all of those who follow my BarnWright fanfiction on AO3 and blackmoorinsanity, siberian74, loyalmaneko, badwolfmana89, psi-gay, chlogummy, ravio-lita, reaganwarren, luketritondefensesquad and thedankemperoroftheuniverse who follow my BarnWright blog here on Tumblr! You are all AWESOME and I love and appreciate you all! ^)^) I've not been satisfied with my writing for the past couple of days (being utter crap GAH!) but I AM happy with this ficlet! I've been listening to an unabridged audio rendition of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice-I've been listening to it since 9:30 this morning and about to put in disc 5 of 9 into the CD player-and was inspired to write this little ficlet. To those who like BarnWright, I hope that you will enjoy this little Regency tale! ^_^ *Sources I used for historical research follow below.*

HUGE EXTRA-SPECIAL THANKS also to my beloved husband, DezoPenguin, for sharing his knowledge of the Regency Era with me! Thanks, Sweetie! ^_^  
Places are real but are being used fictitiously. Since this fic is set in Regency England, I've used British spellings.  
Phoenix, as a Duke, is two grades higher in rank than Zacharias is, who is an Earl.  
Grandam is an archaic word meaning grandmother, an old woman or a female ancestor.  
Historical Sources I Consulted Music in the regency: 2010/07/12/jane-austen-and-music/ Forms of address (Peerage): wiki/Forms_of_address_in_the_United_ (Titles and forms of address by Michelle Jean Hoppe)

Hope you enjoy! ^)^

Not beta read.

Rated Teen, BarnWright, male/male relationships, Drama/Romance, Zacharias Barnham x Phoenix Wright  
 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 _31 July 1815_  
 _Pemberley Estate_  
 _London, England_  
 _9 P.M._

Phoenix Wright, ninth Duke of Claremont, stood at the far wall of the ballroom, holding a flute of champagne and watching the dance with a bored air, taking a deep breath and letting it slowly out.

He'd been invited to this infernal ball by Lady Spencer-he'd tried everything he could think of to try and get out of it but to no avail-and had stood here, refusing all requests to dance from the young ladies who were dangled in front of him and even those who weren't.

Phoenix was bored and, as he took another sip, his cerulean blue eyes looking down at the marble floor and scuffing it with the toe of his black boot, he reflected somewhat bitterly on the nuisance of the upper quality, particularly in matters of love and marriage. He wasn't the slightest bit interested in matrimony, at least not with the dainty marriage bait that was dangled before him and had been for the past three years.

 _Bloody nuisance._ He tugged on the sleeves of his shirt, grimacing as he pulled on his cravat to try and stop the infernal thing from choking him, his features twisted into a scowl. _I don't know why I allow myself to be badgered into coming to one of these fêtes when all I ever do is stand around bored._ His anger started to simmer and he took a large gulp. _Bloody society. Where's the justice?_

He'd politely turned down offers of a dance by five comely young ladies, much to their mothers' consternation and insulted the grandam of Lady Presley when she refused to take what he'd said at face value and had stormed off in a huff, dragging her crestfallen niece along with her.

 _Poor Elizabeth, being stuck with that pompous harridan. I pity the poor soul who marries her and having that harpy for an in-law._ He shuddered at the thought since he felt sorry for Elizabeth Presley. He did like her, she being among the circle of his closest friends, but not in the way that her grandam had thought which caused no end of annoyance, not to mention embarrassment, to both he and Elizabeth.

He had, repeatedly, tried to correct her politely but, when that hadn't worked, he told her bluntly that he wasn't interested in Elizabeth and that he would appreciate it if she stopped her infernal meddling in her granddaughter's matrimonial affairs, the infernal bluestocking.

He stood there calmly while the firestorm erupted around him, drinking his champagne. She cursed him roundly, using language that was quite inappropriate for a lady of her stature before storming off in a huff, Elizabeth with a smirk on her face that she quickly hid when her grandam whirled to look at her and had left noisily, the crowd watching her as they exited. Phoenix just stood there, a pleased look on his face as he continued to nurse his champagne and ignored the rest of the company as the dance resumed.

He reached into his waistcoat pocket, taking out his watch. He opened it and looked at the time. _9 P.M._ He sighed loudly as he closed it and tucked it back into his pocket on his vest, taking another large sip. _Another hour more before I_ _can politely leave._

He took another large swallow, grabbing another glass the butler offered him, placing the empty glass on the tray, dipping the glass in salute to him before he took a large sip, chuckling at the butler's raised eyebrow and dry, _"Very good, Sir"_ as he turned and walked away.

The music flowed over him as he stood there and he closed his eyes, letting it carry him away. He smiled as his head swayed to the music, one of his favourite J.C. Bach waltzes. He was feeling much more relaxed and was enjoying the music so much that he almost missed the butler's loud voice echoing in the ballroom as the next guest was announced: _"His Lordship Zacharias Barnham."_

 _Zacharias?_ Phoenix's eyebrow rose and his head turned in the direction of the double French doors…and he froze, his eyes widening, his annoyance all but forgotten as he watched the young man hand the butler his black greatcoat. _Isn't he…?_

Zacharias Barnham, seventh Earl of Surrey, had a wonderful mop of red hair, with black stripes on both sides to make him looks somewhat like a tiger with equal feline grace, accepting a glass of champagne with courtesy and a courtly bow.

He was tall, with a slim, though muscular build that filled out his purple shirt with black diamond patterns, silver vest, black tailcoat and black trousers to utter perfection, his polished black knee-high boots gleamed in the candlelight. A pair of intelligent, slate-grey eyes darted around the room with interest and Phoenix could see that this was not a man to be trifled with, nor to match wits with. He also didn't seem to be the type to suffer fools gladly, either for which Phoenix was secretly glad.

 _I have to meet him…!_ Phoenix could feel his heart start to beat faster, his mouth dry as he watched him tour the room, charming all that he came into contact with, his soft, accented voice carrying effortlessly across the ballroom; he couldn't help but wonder why he felt so strongly for this man, an infrequent social contact and a fellow colleague in another law firm in London whom he had gone up against in court in six cases in the past five months.

He blushed when those slate-grey eyes swiveled to look squarely at him, a crimson colour spotting his cheeks, the other man's lips twitching in amusement. Zacharias had a finely chiseled face with high cheekbones and a cupid mouth and Phoenix couldn't help another surge of desire race through him, leaving him sweating.

Zacharias walked over to him, dipping his head in respect as he stopped in front of him, Phoenix returning the gesture.

"Good evening, Your Grace," he said, his voice soft and even.

"Your Lordship," Phoenix replied smoothly, trying to suppress a tremor that he felt in his hands so he clutched the half full flute in order to hide it. "A pleasure to see you again and in much more pleasant circumstances than our previous meetings."

"I agree." Zacharias' eyes glimmered and Phoenix found himself, almost unwillingly, drawn to them, swallowing hard over the lump in his throat. "Well met, Your Grace."

Phoenix waved his hand, a pained look on his face. "If you would be so kind, could you please stop calling me that? I know its the socially acceptable thing to do, and its something that our class conscious society insists upon, but I really _do_ get tired of the endless bowing and scraping."

Zacharias chuckled, inclining his head. "I can understand that and shall do as you wish."

Phoenix smiled, feeling his heart hammering in his chest. "Thank you."

After that awkward beginning, the two men talked of many things: friends, family, work, the life of a lawyer in London, various cases they had worked on many years earlier, weddings, christenings, deaths and funerals of friends, colleagues and acquaintances, the irritation of society in general and with matrimony in particular. Phoenix was gratified to learn that Zacharias had had the same problem in that respect as he had and it was nice to be able to talk openly of the frustration of being the "most attractive male" in the room for marriage minded mothers and guardians.

Time flew as they chatted, Phoenix and Zacharias enjoying their conversation immensely; they had much in common and Phoenix enjoyed the time they had together as the hours slipped by unnoticed and was surprised to hear the clock chiming eleven.

"Oh my…" Phoenix quickly reached into his waistcoat and brought out his watch, his eyes widening as he opened it. "It seems that time has passed much more quickly than I realized." He chuckled as he put his watch away. "My apologies for keeping you, Zacharias, since I suspect that you have much to do."

"Well met, Phoenix," he replied cheerfully, moving closer to him and Phoenix started to tremble at his closeness, "but you are quite wrong in that respect as I have _no_ pressing duties, either social or otherwise." He blushed slightly. "It would…please me very much of we were to continue our conversation in a more _private_ place?"

Phoenix's eyes widened in surprise, a curious warmth spreading over his face at the bold request, swallowing hard a few times in order to clear his throat. To say that he was taken off-guard was an understatement and it was a heady thrill to know that this young man was enjoying his company as much as he was enjoying his and also wished to continue their conversation.  
 _  
What a surprisingly good turn of events…_

"Forgive me," Zacharias began, mistaking his silence for irritation, "I meant no offence… and I-"

"It's all right, truly," Phoenix managed to say at last, putting his hand on his arm and feeling the tremor that went through his body. "I'm not offended. I was merely… _surprised_." He chuckled weakly and Zacharias couldn't help but grin. "I…was trying to work up my courage to ask if _you_ wished to continue the conversation in a more private setting."

Zacharias chuckled, bowing gallantly, a wicked twinkle in his eye.

"Then, as we are in agreement over future events, shall we go?" He swept his arm out adjacent from his body, his eyes twinkling.

"Yes," Phoenix replied roguishly, finishing his champagne and turning to walk across the ballroom floor with Zacharias following close behind, "let us take our leave."

They quickly gathered their greatcoats and waited for the carriage to arrive to take them to Phoenix's manor. Zacharias' eyes fairly glowed and Phoenix couldn't help but send up silent thanks to meddling old harridans for repeated invitations to this ball as they stood together outside, the cool night air making the evening much more pleasant.

Zacharias looked at him and Phoenix looked back at him, smiling as he felt Zacharias' hand seek out his own, clasping it briefly before releasing it as the carriage pulled up in front of them, the footman hopping down quickly to open the carriage door and putting down the steps, standing beside it expectantly.

"Pembroke Manor, if you please, good sir," Phoenix said before they alighted quickly and sat down as the footman put up the steps and shut the door, the driver touching the rim of his cap in acknowledgement. Phoenix took Zacharias' hand in his own, holding it tightly; the other man blushed slightly but squeezed his affectionately in return.

Phoenix licked his suddenly too-dry lips, his heart hammering so hard in his chest that he was surprised that Zacharias didn't hear it; he was intoxicating and Phoenix was entranced by him, his eyes flicking many times to look at his companion whom, he was pleased to note, was busily looking at _him_ in return.

They sat in silence as the carriage started to move and, hardly believing what he was doing, Phoenix turned slightly in his seat, his eyes shining. Still holding Zacharias' hand, he leaned slowly forward, his lips gently brushing Zacharias' in a soft, butterfly kiss and then returning to press harder.

Zacharias' eyes popped open in surprise but, aside from a startled exclamation, he didn't pull away; indeed, he pressed even closer after a moment's hesitation, his mouth moving sweetly on Phoenix's, his tongue feathering over his lips in clear invitation, dipping into his mouth as it opened beneath his.

Phoenix moaned softly as they kissed, his cream-coloured gloved hand reaching up to cup the side of Zacharias' face, his thumb tracing soft circles on his cheek. He felt Zacharias' arms reach up and wrap around him, drawing him closer and he melted into his embrace, helped by the swaying of the carriage as it rattled along the dirt country roads.

He was still cupping the side of his face when they parted, their foreheads touching. Phoenix's eyes were closed and, when he opened them a few moments later, he saw Zacharias' smouldering slate-grey eyes gazing at him with _definite_ interest. One that he, too, shared.

It seemed like an incredible dream and Phoenix still _wasn't_ certain that this was really happening but the salacious smile on the face of his companion told him otherwise.

"I think," he said slowly, his fingertips gently caressing Zacharias' cheek, "that we shall put aside our conversation for another time." He smiled saucily, blushing slightly at his boldness. "Perhaps we should pursue… _other_ matters in the meantime?"

Zacharias chuckled, pulling Phoenix closer and planting a soft kiss on his forehead.

"I'd like nothing better," he replied softly, his eyes glittering as he sat back and Phoenix leaned toward him, pressing his mouth against his once again as the carriage rattled on into the night, the moon shining brightly in the velvety black sky.

 **.:FIN:.**


End file.
